Egg Foo Young
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Golden brown and crispy omelettes full of bean sprouts, chicken, and shrimp slathered in a savory homemade brown gravy. Just like the classic Chinese take-out but at home, this easy egg foo young recipe is as good as the restaurant version. Thin golden brown omelettes stacked and sauced with a savory homemade gravy, this recipe can be served on its own, or over rice for a hearty meal.
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Table of Contents
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Why We Love This Recipe
- Better than the restaurant version and made at home.
- Healthy and protein packed omelettes fried until golden brown in a delicious homemade Chinese gravy.
- Makes great leftovers and packed lunch.
- Super versatile you can easily customize this recipe to your liking.
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What is Egg Foo Young
Egg foo young is a traditional Chinese recipe made from stacked omelettes smothered in a salty and savory brown gravy usually containing soy sauce, and sesame oil. The omelettes themselves are thin and crispy packed with proteins, bean sprouts, and vegetables. This recipe is often found in Chinese take-out restaurants and can be served on its own, or over rice as part of a larger meal.
Variations to Try
One of the best things about this recipe is how incredibly versatile it is. Adding a few of your favorite meats, vegetables or spices can really add a ton of flavor to this recipe.
- Add different proteins – Egg foo young can be made with any of your favorite proteins. Ground beef, chicken, and shrimp are common but thin strips of steak, pork, and fish can also be used in egg foo young.
- Add different vegetables – From sliced peppers, to mushrooms there are endless kinds of vegetables you can add to your egg foo young. Water chestnuts, green onion, shallots, hot peppers, and ginger are all great additions.
- Make it vegetarian – This recipe can easily be made into a vegetarian recipe by omitting the meat and adding extra vegetables.
- Make it low carb – By simply switching out the sugar used in the gravy for the sweetener of your choice, this egg foo young can easily be made keto friendly.
Egg Foo Young Pro Tips
- Use a non-stick pon or wok with hot oil to prevent sticking.
- Let each side of the omelettes cook until they are golden brown to enhance the flair and texture of this egg foo young.
- Meat like shrimp or fish will cook while the egg cooks, but heavier meat like beef, chicken, or pork should be precooked before adding it to the egg.
- This recipe can be served on its own as a dish, or over a bed of rice garnished with scallions and toasted sesame seeds.
- Don’t thicken the gravy too much while simmering since it will thicken further as it cools.
- Add chili paste or sambal to your egg foo young to make it spicy.
Leftovers and storage
Store leftover egg foo young in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. If possible store the gravy separately and top each serving as you reheat it.
Heat leftover egg foo young in the microwave on high until warmed through. Do not reheat for too long or the egg will become tough and rubbery.
Egg foo young does not freeze well.
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Egg Foo Young
Ingredients
Gravy Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 pinch ground white pepper
- 1 pinch garlic powder – optional
- 1 pinch sugar
- 1 cup water, or unsalted stock
Omelette Ingredients:
- 6 eggs
- ⅓ cup shrimp, raw, diced
- ⅓ cup chicken, precooked, diced
- ½ cup bean sprouts
- ⅓ cup carrot, grated
- ⅓ cup scallions, finely chopped
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Neutral cooking oil
- Additional Scallions, finely chopped for garnish
- Toasted sesame seeds. for garnish
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Instructions
- Start the gravy by adding the oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, corn starch, white pepper, garlic powder, sugar, and water to a small saucepan over low heat.
- Bring the saucepan to a simmer and reduce until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. Set aside to cool.
- Add the eggs, shrimp, chicken, bean sprouts, carrot, scallions, and salt to the large mixing bowl and combine well.
- Heat a large frying pan or wok over medium-high heat and add neutral cooking oil. Once hot, add ¼ of the egg mixture and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Turn down the pan to medium-low and let the omelette cook until the bottom is golden brown. Flip and cook the other side until golden browns and set aside.
- Repeat for the rest of the egg mixture to make 4 omelettes.
- Stack the omelettes on top of each other on a plate and pour the gravy over the top. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds before serving.